The annoying aspects of travelling

[Esterina]

Hey travellers, what about telling the whole truth !

We keep saying how wonderful backpacking is and how we're having the best time of our lives, BUT... for the newbies' sake, let's tell what annoys us, what parts we hate about this lifestyle.

For me, because I've always made a principle to not book rooms in advance, arriving in a town/city has always been the most difficult part. I'm not all smiling and enjoying the place for the good reason that I need to find a place to live ! Making phone calls in foreign countries is often a challenge, try to figure out how to get to the hostel (even when they explain the directions on the phone), asking locals around, etc.

But this principle is to keep the journey as spontaneous as possible. Half of the time, it turns out perfectly : you get off the train, someone there offers a private room in their house, you go and it's the most beautiful place ever, they are friendly, and you have the time of your life. Half of the time, you walk for hours with your bakcpack on.

Bus rides and train journeys, as magical as it appeared the first weeks, became a boring and long energy consuming moments (especially in Eastern Europe and Asia...).

[d_fresh]

yeah those are the two for me definitely.
I always try to book the day before I get to a city, but sometimes it doesn't work out....while getting lost in a foreign city sounds very romantic, slugging a backpack around while trying to find a hostel (and getting lost in the process) sucks.

train rides lost their appeal the second long haul I went on.

[Diorama]

Good topic esther!! Really as much fun and enjoyable backpacking is for me it's still work. There are days that you just want to go to a four star hotel.

For me the most annoying are

-packing and repacking!! I hate it so much. Everytime I'm in a city for atleast three days I tend to take everything out of my backpack and then right before I leave I have to repack it all up again. So yes this makes me a pro at packing a bag (it's all about rolling those t-shirts, and utilising every space!) , but it's so damn annoying.

-Carrying food around. Well I always seem to be carrying half bags of pasta and sauce around in a shopping bag. It gets kind of out of control because you don't want to throw out any kind of leftover food, but then you end up looking like a bag lady....advice: pasta is cheap, don't carry it around , check out the free food shelf in the next hostel you arrive at.

-Sand! Yeah being in a hot country is nice, but why does it feel like sand gets in everything! You spend the day at the beach and it gets in your camera, book, daypack. Fuck I hate sand ! especially camping on a beach. It's so not how it sounds.

-teeny boppers! I hate arrving at a hostel and finding that the place is overrun with 19 year old girls who are only 'backpacking' to get drunk and to shag someone. Okay I am a really big partier when i travel BUT I also go to see the culture of the place. I want to get out and explore. i see these girls (and guys!) and they lay on a beach from 11am-5pm, eat dinner, party from 6pm-3am, get some loving , and then sleep. It makes me sad

-Being poor. Really there were some days that I had zero money. And it sucks so so bad. You get in this little depression and sometimes you want to throw the towel in.

-Saying goodbye. That's probably my number one shittiest thing about backpacking. you meet all these amazing ppl and saying goodbye is the hardest thing to do in the world. I found saying goodbye to my traveling friends was actually harder than saying goodbye to my family! crazy eh. but your with those friends 24-7 and have just shared such an amazing experience together. It hurts like hell.

Okay so there are way more shitty things and I could go on and on, but overall the good so outweighs the bad. It's the most amazing feeling in the world and as much as i'm frusterated on somedays ,I wouldn't change it for the world!

[mark-0]

The worst part for me is the few occassions where I'm in a new city but don't manage to meet anyone for whatever reason (i.e. others in the dorm don't get in until 5 am and sleep until the early afternoon when I'm out exploring, or I book a place I think is a hostel but is actually a discount hotel and there's no one else in my room). Travelling is amazing but it's a million times better when you can share the new experiences and what you see as crazy aspects of a new culture with someone, even if you just met them.

Also, customs. Hint: If you don't want attitude from customs, don't wear a shirt with official "Security" patches on the shoulders. It was the cleanest shirt I had coming home and I got it at a used clothing store years ago. It wasn't even airport security or general security patches on the shirt. It was a Public Housing Security shirt and it was from the mid-90's before the name of the organisation got changed. But trust me, customs officials don't know all that and they don't seem to like it when it looks like travellers are moving in on their turf. Needless to say, the "What's with the shirt?" I got from the guy was none too polite.

[carol.]

Oooh, I can't wait to experience and write about all that kinda stuff....

[bluepea]

I agree with the packing and unpacking thing. Sometimes, I'd just want to stay some place for a week, dump out my pack and be comfy for a little while. Ya kinda miss having a "home."

Along those lines, my toiletries. I hated having everything crammed into a tiny bag and having to haul it with me into the shower or in the bathroom in the morning, then dig everything out of it, without just being able to have everything in one spot at my disposal.

Wearing the same clothes so often.

[jeza]

travellers cheques i found. was a big surprise for me, assuming since i had them in euro currency you could use them like cash. nothing like in the states, no shops or cafes would accept them. not even the tour manager would use them for optional extras. and to get them changed into cash often charged by average 10%, in florence the best i could find ended up costing around 17%. a total rip off, never by any means use them in europe/england. i had mine in euros remember and that didnt even make a difference

[ryco]

wearing same clothes all da time at least if you wanna pack light kinda sucks, especially if you like to party. Not knowing enough of whatever language you might just need. Not meeting someone cuz you end up in one of those hotels with dorms where's there's no common area and no one in your room. If theres 10 people in your room that all don't speak any language you speak. For example if theres all koreans that dont speak english in your room you feel pretty out of place not that i dislike them, just because communication is close to impossible. Doing sightseeing hung over kills you, and all of the above i dont have to repeat again. But theres always good times. Good and bad dont live without each other so thats good to know since you dont think bout bad times when youre having a good time but u can do it the other way around

[kingcrazylegs]

Great topic Esther...

I often find it stressful figuring out transportation and accomidations, as there is often a lot to figure out and a lot of watining around.

Doing exchange rates in my head.

[urOZm8]

Just to name a few of my pet hates (some already mentioned):

-Carrying a heavy pack around trying to find the hostel.
-Missing the train/bus when you're in an isolated place and the next one may not be for hours or even the next day.
-Trying to find the toilet when you're really busting.
-Constant hunger and tiredness.
-Hostels with bad ventilation, dirty bathrooms, bad security etc.
-The other person rocking the bunk bed too much.
-Wearing the same clothes.
-Accidentally leaving or losing things at the last place you were at.

The list could be endless...

ev

[worldwidemike]

Hmmm...Eating alone is sometimes a pain. I mean, I take my postcards, and write them while I'm waiting for dinner to arrive, but sometimes I feel like a sore thumb sticking out, sitting there by myself. For those that have met me at meetups, this may be a surprise: But I'm actually very shy when I know nobody in the room. I've gone to bars when traveling and not said a word to anyone but the bartender. I know.

Nasty rooms...sometimes you can do all your research, check out the one place all guidebooks sing the praises of, and still get the red-headed stepchild of a room. My apologies to any red-headed stepchildren out there...

Flying standby. I know I'll get no sympathy here from folks who pay regular fares when they fly, but sometimes, when you're sitting there in the aiport, tired, but sated with your exhausting, exciting trip, you just want to go home. And not knowing till the last minute if you're getting on, or if you're going to be scrambling for another way home, or if you're simply stuck -- stranded. That's a pain, too.


worldwidemike (expecting the sympathy PMs at any moment...I'm waiting!)

[Somnambulation]

Originally posted by Diorama@Mar 3 2006, 01:24 PM
I hate arrving at a hostel and finding that the place is overrun with 19 year old girls who are only 'backpacking' to get drunk and to shag someone.

I might disagree as to this one...

But the bad times, where youre down and out with no place to stay or cold and tired, makes it all the better when the situation is reversed. One thing I find annoying is having to watch what I spend, usually for food or beverage. Then I feel guilty afterward when I splurge.

[space virgin]

Hostels definitely have their bad points along with the good. Personally, waking up to Shania Twain blasting at ear-splitting levels at 7:30am in Barcelona from the French students on holiday in the room next door was... something I could do without in the future.

Eating alone doesn't phase me usually but every once in a while it'll strike a chord. Arriving in a town and not having a place to stay-- or even having a place to stay, but also having a SHITTY map or directions (I'm talking about YOU, Montpellier!! ) can be a major drag.

Eventually it all turns into the Big Overall Travel Experience, and it's definitely better than sitting at home... but yeah, not every single minute of every single day of traveling is the bowl of cherries that we sometimes romanticize it to be.

[tumblezweedz]

In my solo days, I hated eating alone - also did the postcard/journal/newspaper trick. I felt a lot more vulnerable eating alone than I did wandering around in the streets - I guess because I couldn't just get up and move away if some creepy guy tried chatting me up. Now I'd kill to have a chocolate croissant and cup of tea in peace!

I hate not knowing the times of the trains, or just missing one! And when I travelled alone I got soooo tired of having to *think* all the time. Not in the conventional sense, but in the always-have-to-make-the-decisions-where-am-I-going-to-sleep-eat-go-today sense. Toward the end of my trip, I would have been quite happy to let someone else do the planning/organizing for a bit.

[Jen05]

- hostel "breakfasts," nice if they're included, but sometimes a piece of stale bread and a jam packet just doesn't cut it!

- if you're traveling with a friend, there's those intense, stressful moments aka a big fight. Luckily, when you look back on them, you can laugh, or learn from them and in the end, I truly believe they make you closer

- living out of a toiletry bag: I can handle the backpack thing, but by the end, when your face cloth or towel smells nasty, your shampoo has exploded over everything, and you have a sliver of soap left, it's not fun!

- it's been mentioned, but THE PHONES!! I won't even start...

[beergal]

Definately the eating alone one would be a good one for me! Even my 13 year old cousin could not comprehend and tought i was a little strange when i told her that i usually combatted the lonlieness by taking a book in to read while i waited for my food. I dont know why but i found that in Berlin the waitresses looked at me really wierd when i ate on my own at lunchtime.

Also being thrown in with 15-17 year old girls in a hostel who must have thought i was really old and actually said we wont try and wake you up when we get in HELLO I AM THE BEERGAL!! they were rather disappointed when i got in after them crashing in the room drunk as a skunk cos there stuff was all over the floor!

[ScarlotteDorian]

^ :D i'm almost scared to drink with you in a week and a half.

well, i've traveled plenty, but not in other countries. i've usually have the luxury of a car, speaking the same language and knowing if what i'm paying for something is a rip off or not. i've hauled around a backpack plenty of times in the backcountry for a week or so and the only thing that ever got me was having to hike at a fast pace in the rain to get to our next destination. and speaking of rain...having everything be all damp and uncomforable until the sun comes out again. as for packing and unpacking, i make it pretty easy on myself by organizing everything into giant ziplock bags. then i'm just shuffling to find something in 6 or 7 possible places instead of 100.

the not having any money when you're by yourself in a strange place it the absolute worst. i remember being stranded on the side of the road, having not eaten in the last two days (only a can of soda) and asking people for change for gas so i could make it the 2 hours back to dallas when i was driving back up from new orleans.

also, sleeping at rest areas is totally scarey. i usually didn't want to waste the money on a hotel.

and i totally hate the freshly baked feeling you have after driving 12 to 14 hours cross country by yourself when you get out of the car.

and don't even get me started on amtrak train travel if you're seated near babies, or worst yet..creepy looking guys that haven't showered in days that are undressing you with their eyes...

[Canadian Bacon]

Originally posted by atchoum@Mar 3 2006, 11:49 AM
Hey travellers, what about telling the whole truth !

We keep saying how wonderful backpacking is and how we're having the best time of our lives, BUT... for the newbies' sake, let's tell what annoys us, what parts we hate about this lifestyle.*

[snapback]105171[/snapback]

I dunno... for me, I find that the tough times in travelling end up being the best and more hilarious stories.

[blinkchick2134]

Eating/being alone gets to be every now and then. Most the time I'm fine watching people or getting lost in my thoughts. Sometimes I do feel like a sore thumb. The worst is when people think I'm lonely and try to talk/hit on me. It's weird how when you aren't trying to attract the opposite sex they flock to you.

[Wayner]

man, if these are the problems then I can't wait to go even more. I guess it's b/c I'm a rook, but all of this stuff sounds so much better than getting up at 6 and going to work all day. Is calling beforehand to reserve a hostel really reccomended? I thought most of the time it's pretty east to get a bed.